U.S. WNT forward Alex Morgan has 12 goals so far in 2012. That got us to wondering, how many players in U.S. WNT history have scored 12 or more goals in a calendar year?
Turns out the answer is: 29
Following is a list of the best goal-scoring years in WNT history, led by Michelle Akers' near impossible probably-never-to-be-broken 39 goals in 1991.

Real Madrid and Juventus will be going head-to-head in this summer's World Football Challenge, but they won't be doing so in an established MLS market. They'll be doing it in Vegas, baby.

The newly crowned Spanish and Italian champions will clash on August 5 in Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium, a 36,800-capacity venue that is the home to UNLV football, as part of the summer tournament in North America, match organizers announced on Tuesday.

Back to Wembley for Liverpool after a compelling week on and off the pitch, this time to face Everton in the first semi-final of the FA Cup. Liverpool's won both meetings this season, with a 2-0 win at Goodison and a 3-0 victory at Anfield, but Everton are the side on form, managing to surge past Liverpool in the table with yet another strong late season showing.

A series of serious injuries have taken their toll on the Columbus Crew.

After centerback Julius James required surgery for a collapsed lung last week and remains out indefinitely as he recovers, Columbus learned that No. 1 goalkeeper William Hesmer will need to miss at least the next six months after undergoing microfracture surgery on his hip.

The prospect of Kenny Dalglish being sacked by Liverpool at the end of the season has become a real possibility, says The Times' Oliver Kay.
Despite his legendary status at Anfield, Dalglish has come under increasing pressure in recent months after a series of poor results in the league. Liverpool secured the Carling Cup and are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but Kay believes those achievements may not be enough to save his job.

Arsenal skipper Robin van Persie believes one of the secrets to his success this season has been a somewhat sudden transition from a role right behind the main striker to becoming the main striker himself.

In recent years, injuries had derailed van Persie's progress as one of the most promising talents in the Premier League but having started this season fully fit, the Dutchman also benefited from receiving the greater responsibility of the main striker position.

By Chris Wright

Barcelona have just announced that Eric Abidal is to undergo an emergency liver transplant at some point 'in the coming weeks.'

Barca's medical department issued the following statement:

"In the coming weeks, Abidal will undergo a liver transplant, given the development of his liver illness.

Auto insurance coverage to help the circumstance that entails your automobile is developed to guard. A single reason is that this kind of car protection vehicle, auto insurance coverage is often a necessity and necessity in all states? Car insurance coverage is a have to for all drivers total. Car insurance gives coverage for third celebration and emerged as being a legal necessity.

Away matches Fulham won under Roy Hodgson in 2.5 seasons: 7
Away matches WBA has won under Roy Hodgson in (nearly) one calendar year: 8

Matches Fulham scored 3 goals under Roy Hodgson in 2.5 seasons: 11
Matches WBA scored 3 goals under Roy Hodgson in (nearly) one calendar year: 7

WBA goals scored in past two games: 9 (5 and 4 respectively)
Fulham matches under Roy Hodgson in which 4 or more goals were scored: Zero

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Sunderland

Position 8th, 9-6-9 (33 points, +9 goal differential)

Home Record: 5-4-3, +8 goal differential

Recent Form: WLWWW

Last Meeting: Arsenal 2 Sunderland 1 (October 17, 2011)

Crucial match .

It may not have been a man of the match-calibre performance, as those honours would have to have gone to one of the defenders—and probably either Glen Johnson or Martin Skrtel. And he likely didn't even have as good a game as his previous two against Wolverhampton and Manchester United. Regardless of that, however, after nearly a full calendar year filled almost entirely by futility as he struggled first with fitness and then with fitting in, it's understandable that on the back of three strong showings on the bounce people would be eager to look for any upside they can find in the 2012 edition of Andy Carroll.

Photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com

U.S. Under-23 national team defender Gale Agbossoumonde is set to finalize a loan move to the NASL's Carolina RailHawks today, sources told SBI.

The 20-year-old Agbossoumonde has been on a constant quest for consistent playing time for the better part of the last three years, having stints with Sporting Braga in Portugal, Djurgardens IF in Sweden and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany yield few first-team minutes.

I'm back (kind of)! For those who used to visit The Offside but haven't in a while, welcome back. For those who have never visited before, welcome. As Cesar mentioned in the previous post, it's sad that I closed down Loco4LosChe, but I'm very excited to be a part of The Offside team now, as I think it better suits me at this time in my life to write one to two articles a week instead of daily news updates.

After similar pieces on League Two, League One and the Championship it seemed apt to do one on the Premier League. The following tables show the Premier League table had the season stretched from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2011. The first table displays the seventeen teams who spent the entirety of 2011 in the Premier League.

The following tables show the number of points earned by teams during 2011.

It's very tight at the top of the Championship table for 2011. Reading have the best points average yet it's Middlesbrough who picked up more points during the year. Both these sides are closely followed by Cardiff City who finish the year having picked up 82 points, an identical tally to Reading.

As there are three teams promoted and four teams relegated from League One, seventeen sides spent the entirety of 2011 in the third tier. Of these teams it was League One play-off finalists Huddersfield Town that ended the year with the best record. It was only everyone's favourite franchise MK Dons that won the same number of games during 2011.

There are eighteen teams that spent the whole of 2011 in League Two (four teams are promoted each season, and two are relegated). Congratulations to Shrewsbury Town, who despite missing out in the League Two playoffs last May ended the year as the League Two side that had gained the most points (an impressive 86) during 2011.

With just a little over half the season already gone, and 20 league matches played, it's time to assess the individuals that make up the glorious institution that is Arsenal FC. Some you know have had great years; others, not so much. We begin this player review by looking at some of the under-performing players of this season's team so far.

With the New Year come and gone, it's time to start looking forward to the 2012 season. Soon the training camp will open and all of the Timbers players will once again resume training ahead of the 2012 season. More than that, though, there are still more than a few open positions available on the Timbers roster so it will be interesting to see who comes in and who goes (if anybody).

2011 has gone past us and we all are looking forward to the new year, 2012 with hope. The past year was something like a rollercoaster ride - the financial turbulence, a slew of nature's fury at various parts of world, the fight for democracy at other parts all made it a wonderful ride.

Martin Skrtel has hailed the influence to Liverpool of Craig Bellamy after the Welsh international's two-goal display against Newcastle United in the final game of 2011 on Friday night.
Liverpool's No.39 was a constant menace to his old side and the Slovakian was quick to mention just how important a figure he is for Kenny Dalglish's side.

Martin Skrtel has hailed the influence to Liverpool of Craig Bellamy after the Welsh international's two-goal display against Newcastle United in the final game of 2011 on Friday night.
Liverpool's No.39 was a constant menace to his old side and the Slovakian was quick to mention just how important a figure he is for Kenny Dalglish's side.

Robin celebrates one of his 35 Premier League goals in 2011, second only to Alan Shearer's 1995 calendar year tally of 36.

A few quick comments as the minutes to midnight tick closer.

Robin rules. It would be impossible to heap too many superlatives on his form this season. He finally got to show what he could do when he could remain injury-free.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew felt his side could have been better in their 3-1 defeat at Liverpool.
The Magpies took the lead via a Daniel Agger own goal, but the Reds hit back with a Craig Bellamy brace and Steven Gerrard effort.
Pardew felt Liverpool's second goal, which saw visiting defender Danny Simpson and goalkeeper Tim Krul fail to keep out Bellamy's free-kick on the line, was a key part of the match.

There's been good, bad, and ugly for Manchester United in 2011, but United are winding down the calendar year in scintillating form, with five consecutive Premier League wins part of a nine-match unbeaten league run. And if United can extend that run to six straight league wins and ten straight unbeaten with a home win [.

Measuring events in terms of a calendar year in football is a little silly. Almost everything that happens in club football is only important in terms of the August to May season. But so many things have happened to Arsenal in the last twelve months, I felt nostalgic.

Robin Van Persie is to given one more chance to break Alan Shearers record of goals scored in a single calendar year today when Arsenal face QPR at the Emirates. Under normal circumstances I am sure that Arsene Wenger wouldn't risk playing his (previously) injury-prone captain so soon after the Wolves game, but the Frenchman [.

Kenny Dalglish delighted with Liverpool's three goals from few chances

• Manager applauds Steven Gerrard's form against Newcastle • Dalglish denies return of Luis Suárez presents a dilemma Kenny Dalglish denied he will have a selection problem for Liverpool's next game, against Manchester City on Tuesday, with Luis Suárez available again after suspension, though he did concede it was ironic to score three times against Newcastle in a game where very few chances were created.

The end of the calendar year brings a close to 2011, the first season of the Portland Timbers participating in MLS. It's been an incredible, magical, frustrating, exhilarating ride, and I can't wait for 2012 to get going and the team take back to the pitch.

Can Arsenal score their 300th goal in a London derby? Ten key stats for this weekend's Premier League action

Robin van Persie has one final chance to break Alan Shearer's record of most goals scored in a calendar year, while Liverpool will be aiming to get a rare win at home

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-12-30 13:22:00 from: Goal

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Albirex Niigata (アルビレックス新潟?) is a Japanese J. League soccer team currently campaigning in the top-tier of Japanese soccer – the J.League Division 1. Nicknamed the Albi, Niigata finished the 2011 J. League season in 14th position. Given the early calendar year start to the 2012 J. League season in February, adidas Japan has launched the [.

Courtesy of Professional Arena Soccer League Press Release
Sockers, Waza on Top at Midpoint
The San Diego Sockers and Detroit Waza lead their respective divisions at the virtual midpoint of the 2011/12 PASL season. San Diego, 5-0, has won 13 in a row dating back a full calendar year.

The post-Boxing Day schedule is a light one, but Arsenal kicks things off today with a chance to break into the Premier League Top Four with a victory against Wolverhampton (10am, Fox Soccer Plus).

Robin Van Persie will look to break the Arsenal club record for goals in a calendar year (he is currently tied with Thierry Henry at 34 goals) and has two games to try and match Alan Shearer's English Premier League record of 36.

Arsene Wenger has tried to rest Robin Van Persie before this season with unspectacular results, but the Arsenal boss is obviously worried aboput the danger of him playing three games in the next six days, despite the Dutchman being ominously close to breaking the record for the amount of goals scored in a calendar year.

It's a special time of year. A time of year for gathering with people you hardly see and don't really know all that well, getting inappropriately drunk, and reminiscing about all the time you've wasted over the past twelve months that you're never getting back. If it's an especially good year, it won't end with you weeping softly to yourself in a corner somewhere.

Fernando Torres has slammed critics constantly rip apart his patchy form for Chelsea by insisting that a European and World Cup winner deserves more respect.

Torres, who moved to the Blues at the beginning of the calendar year, has since scored only three times in 25 appearances a statistic that has been received particularly well at former club Liverpool.

We ended up giving a good account of ourselves against Man City but not winning, which was pardonable enough, but embracing the tag of honourable losers is not an act any team should partake in with any relish or frequency. Getting a positive result was the most important thing against Villa, and it gave me perverse pleasure when we managed to do it in spite of being quite poor overall.

Aston Villa 1 – 2 Arsenal Match Report

1st half observations from a bad stream

The first 45 minutes were pretty different from what I expected. Aston Villa did not close us down frantically and allowed Arsenal plenty of space. Especially Gervinho and Theo saw plenty of the ball, as Villa sat deep in the beginning, allowing our wingers to attack them from the sides.

A shaky performance, but we won. So, Yay?

An early pelanty goal from Robin van Persie, taking his tally to 34 goals in the calendar year, and a late goal from Yossi Benayoun (from a header, no less) secured a nervous, underperforming, but ultimately crucial midweek win at Villa Park today.

Let's start this morning with tonight's game against Aston Villa.

We all know about our injured full back situation (more on that anon) and Djourou's sprangled groin further complicates things. I would suggest we'll see a start for Ignasi Miquel at left back, Laurent Koscielny on the right with Vermesackser in the middle.